6.13 Purpose/Script
Charmed Reloaded ;6.13 Purpose A high school football game in the evening. The cheerleaders cheer as the home team scores and the crowd screams. On the bleachers, a teenaged boy sits alone in the corner, drawing in a journal. He is dressed in black, his hair and nails are black and he is wearing eyeliner. Some other kids throw popcorn at him and laugh. The boy gets up and leaves. (As the boy leaves, he almost bumps into a member of the football team. His journal drops.) Boy: (looking down) Sorry. Footballer: No problem. (He picks up the journal and looks at it. The other boy is nervous. The journal is filled with monstrous drawings and writing.) Wow, these are pretty good. It’s Ian, right? Ian: Right. Footballer: I’m Jesse. We have math together, I think. So are you enjoying the game? (Ian glances at the kids who threw popcorn.) Were those guys bothering you? Ian: (reluctantly) It’s nothing new. Can I get my book back? I was just leaving. Jesse: Sure. Look, I know a lot of kids here can be mean and… Ian: (annoyed) I don’t need your pity. (Ian snatches the book from Jesse and leaves. He goes past the bleachers and to the parking lot. There, a bunch of guys are smoking and drinking. When they spot Ian, they point and laugh. They start following him.) Bully #1: Hey fag, leaving so soon? Bully #2: Yeah, what’s the rush? Got some weird things to do, freak? Bully #3: He is into that witch stuff, right? Probably has to polish his broomstick. Bully #2: Bet that’s not the only stick he wants to polish. (Ian increases his pace. One of the bullies throws a can and hits him in the head. They laugh. Ian stops and his fists are trembling.) Bully #1: Look, he is about to cry. What are you gonna do, gay boy? Cast a spell? (The other guys throw their cans and hit Ian. One of them sees a rock and throws it as well. Ian is hit in the head and falls to his knees. He feels his head and sees blood on his fingers. He starts whispering something.) Bully #1: Damn, you hit him hard. Bully #3: What the hell is he saying? (Ian stands up and begins to speak louder, repeating the same thing. The lights on the parking lot begin to flicker. The bullies become nervous. Ian turns to them. His eyes turn black.) Ian: Dark lord, hear my plea. Punish my enemies, make them scream. (Ian holds out his hands and thunder sounds. Lightning strikes down and two cars surrounding the bullies are ignited in flames. The bullies scream in terror and run for their lives. Ian’s eyes return to normal and he smirks. He turns and sees a shocked female teacher standing behind him.) Teacher: What are you? You could have killed them, you monster! You shouldn’t be here. Get out! I’m calling the police. (Ian is hurt and scared by her words. He turns and runs away, disappearing into the night.) Scene Halliwell Manor at night. Piper is sitting at the dinner table with Spence, enjoying a nice home-cooked meal and wine. Spence: I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting this. Piper: What do you mean? Spence: Well, when you said you wanted a date, I was thinking a nice restaurant or a concert. Piper: Working mom, remember? Spence: Don’t you have two sisters? Piper: True, but I can’t depend on them for babysitting service all the time. So would you have preferred a restaurant over my home-cooked meal? Spence: Definitely not. Your food is amazing. You have your own restaurant instead of a club. Piper: That’s still the dream, but all in good time. Spence: So how about we move this conversation over to the couch? (He winks.) Or the bedroom? Piper: (smiling) Couch is fine for now. (Piper gets up and starts to get the dishes. Spence helps her. When their hands touch, they both smile and almost kiss. At that moment, Phoebe comes down the stairs. She is dressed in sweats and looks like a slob. Piper and Spence stop.) Piper: (slightly annoyed) Phoebe, I thought you were going to bed early. Phoebe: (as she sees the dinner.) Oh god. I’m so sorry, I lost track of time. I’ll just get some ice cream and I’ll be out of your way. (Phoebe quickly heads to the kitchen.) Spence: (frowning) She looks… Piper: Horrible? Yeah, she is going through a rough time. I should talk to her. Maybe we should cut the night short for now? Spence: Sure, you need to be there for your sister. Piper: I had a really great time. Spence: Me too. Not the ending I was hoping for, but you’re worth the wait. So how about I plan the next date? Piper: Then I’ll promise to get a babysitter. (Piper and Spence say goodbye with a passionate kiss and Piper lets him out. She takes a deep breath and heads to the kitchen. Phoebe is standing by the counter, trying to eat away her misery with ice cream.) Phoebe: Piper, I’m so sorry. Piper: It’s alright. Things weren’t going much further anyway, not with the kids here. But sweetie, you need to pull yourself together. You’ve been wallowing for almost a week now. Phoebe: I know. I’ve been mailing in my columns to avoid seeing Derek. Last time, we had a huge fight about magic. Piper: I know it’s though, but you’re not going to find the answer at the bottom of that jar. (Piper walks away. Phoebe frowns as she looks at the jar of ice cream and drops the spoon.) Scene -Opening Credits- The following morning at the high school. The parking lot has been closed off as a crime scene and officers are talking to students and teachers. Two cars have been burned out. Paige arrives and looks around for Darryl. When she sees him, she waves. Darryl tells one of the officers to let her through. Darryl: Paige, thanks for coming. Paige: Sure, what is going on? Darryl: I need your help on another case. I think magic is involved. Paige: What happened? Darryl: Last night at the game, a couple of bullies were harassing a kid in the parking lot. According to the bullies and a teacher who witnessed the whole thing, the kid called lightning down from the sky. Paige: Oh my God. Was anyone hurt? Darryl: Just the cars. But now the kid in question is missing. His parents say he never came home last night. Paige: What do we know about him? Darryl: (as he goes through his notes.) Name is Ian Griffin, sixteen years old. He is a loner, what most would call a Goth. Kept to himself and no known friends. He was bullied a lot. Paige: So maybe he has magic, and was pushed to his limits? Darryl: Maybe. But we’re not sure he is the victim yet. There is a chance he really wanted to hurt the bullies. Paige: Serves them right. Darryl: Paige, you know that’s not true. Violence is never the answer, especially not with magic. Paige: (admitting) I know. I just hate people who bully others just because they are different. Why do they always have to pick on the weak? Darryl: Looking at those cars, I doubt this kid is weak. He seems dangerous. Paige: Maybe he is a witch just coming into his powers. He might not even know what he was doing. Darryl: Or he is something else entirely. Paige: It’s good that you called me. I need to talk to some of the witnesses. I need to know exactly what happened. Darryl: I suspected as much. We kept them waiting over there. (Paige nods and they walk away.) Scene The Mather Cooperation. Fiona is in her office watching the news about what happened at the high school. She turns off the TV and turns to another hunter, who was waiting by her desk. Fiona: Find me that witch. (The hunter nods and leaves.) Fiona: He will be the perfect test subject. Scene Halliwell Manor. Phoebe is in bathroom. She reaches for a towel and wraps it around herself as she leaves the shower. She wipes the steam of the mirror and looks at herself. She looks as if she has been crying. A flashback starts. (Phoebe and Derek are in his apartment.) Phoebe: (angrily) How could you do that? You tried to kill an innocent. Derek: She was possessed. I didn’t want to risk a god-like demon being resurrected. It would endanger the entire world. Phoebe: So you would sacrifice an innocent? Derek: Sometimes in war, sacrifices need to be made. I didn’t want to, but I had no choice. Phoebe: A war against what? Evil? Or magic? Derek: (frustrated) Not this again. I told you… I see the good you and your sisters do. Phoebe: But in the end, magic will always be a threat, right? That is how you were raised. Derek: Magic is a threat. You and I both know that. Don’t pretend that this is all black and white. Phoebe: I’m not. I’ve experienced evil more than you could possibly know, but I would never resort to killing an innocent. Derek: So you’d rather risk letting evil win? To endanger everyone you’re sworn to protect? (Phoebe takes a deep breath and turns around.) Phoebe: What if it had been one of my sisters? Would you have fired your gun then? (She turns to him.) Would you kill me if I was the threat? Derek: That’s not fair. Phoebe: (demanding.) Answer me! Derek: I would. I would do anything to protect humanity against magic. (Tears well up in Phoebe’s eyes, she is heartbroken.) Phoebe: Then what are we doing? How do we get past this? I love you, but magic will always stand between us. We can never be at peace with each other. Derek: I love you too. We can work through this. Phoebe: No, we can’t. You will never fully trust me, and I can’t trust you. How can we ever have a relationship without that fear poisoning it? Derek: (thinking) There is a way. Phoebe: No, there isn’t. I can’t do this anymore, Derek. I’m sorry. (Phoebe begins to leave, Derek tried to stop her by holding her arm, but Phoebe wrings free and runs out the door crying.) (End of the flashback. Phoebe stares at her reflection and wipes away a tear.) Scene The high school. Paige and Darryl are talking to the teacher who saw Ian use magic. Teacher: It was something out of a horror movie. Like the devil was working through him to attack those innocents boys. Paige: (annoyed) You mean the bullies that threw a rock at him? Teacher: He was always a strange boy. He had a way of antagonizing people. Paige: By being different? Teacher: Kids like him should not be at this school. (Paige becomes angry, buy Darryl grabs her arm to keep her in check.) Darryl: I think we’ve heard enough, thank you. (The teacher nods and leaves.) Paige: Can you believe that woman? She is supposed to be a teacher, but she is just as bad as those bullies. Darryl: Well, fighting her isn’t going to help us find Ian. Paige: I know. (Paige notices another teenager, Jesse, standing near the bleachers with a concerned look. She walks over.) Paige: Hi. Jesse: Hi. Paige: Do you know what happened here? Jesse: Only what I heard. I still can’t believe it. They say Ian set a car on fire? Paige: Did you know him? Jesse: Not really. We has a class together, but he was really withdrawn. He looked like he was having a hard time. It sucks to be different than everyone else. Paige: How can you tell? Jesse: I know a little about being different myself. Paige: Oh. (After a moment.) Oh, I see. So was Ian also…? Jesse: Not sure. I tried to reach out to him when I picked up his journal, but he just shot me down. Paige: What kind of journal? Jesse: It had all these weird drawings and writing in it, almost like poems or… Paige: Spells? Jesse: Yeah. I really hope you find him. He doesn't deserve this. (Jesse walks away and Paige returns to Darryl.) Darryl: Anything new? Paige: I’m pretty sure Ian is a witch. According to that kid, he had a journal filled with spells. He must have cast one in self-defense. Darryl: So how are we going to find him? (Paige looks around the crime scene. She sees an officer placing an evidence tag near a rock with some blood on it. When he is not looking, Paige holds out her hand and the rock orbs in her hand. The officer is confused when he sees the rock is missing.) Darryl: Paige, you’re tampering with evidence. Paige: Darryl, you called me here because you know regular police work isn’t going to solve this. This rock has Ian’s blood on it, which I can use to scry for him. Darryl: Fine, let’s just get out of here before anyone sees you holding it. (Paige and Darryl leave.) Scene An alley. Ian is sitting next to a dumpster. He is cold and trembling, having slept there all night. He gets up and walks over to a barrel. He holds his hands over it. Ian: Come on. (He closes his eyes and focuses.) I call upon the lord of hell, grant me fire to warm myself. (The barrel ignites in flames and Ian thankfully warms his hands. Unknown to him, a hunter enters the alley behind him and aims a tranquilizer gun. He moves closer and accidentally kicks a can. Ian spins around.) Ian: Who are you? Hunter: Don’t make this harder than it has to be, witch. You’re coming with me. Ian: (angry) Why can’t I just be left alone? (Ian suddenly grabs his head in pain and falls to his knees. Everything in the alley begins to tremble. Then a dumpster suddenly flies forward and knocks the hunter against the wall. Ian calms down and is shocked to see what happened. He quickly runs away.) Scene Halliwell Manor. Paige and Darryl are in the attic. Paige is scrying over a map of the city. Piper and Phoebe enter. Piper: Darryl, what a surprise. Paige, what is going on? Darryl: Hey, Piper. Phoebe. Paige: I’m helping Darryl with a case. A teenager who might be a witch ran away after using magic against other kids. Phoebe: What happened? Paige: A bunch of bullies were harassing him. I think he was trying to defend himself when his magic manifested. Piper: (skeptically) You think? Darryl: We’re not sure what happened yet, which is why we need to find him before he hurts himself or others. Phoebe: Or before someone hurts him. Piper: (frowning) Hunters? Phoebe: (nodding) A witch using magic against humans? They’ll see him as a threat, something that justifies their crusade against magic. Paige: Then we need to find him before they do. Phoebe: I’ll go talk to Derek, see if he can get the hunters to back off. Piper: (concerned) Are you sure? Phoebe: This is more important than my personal problems, Piper. I have to do what I can. (Phoebe walks away. At that moment, Paige’s scrying crystal drops on the map.) Paige: Got him. (The camera zooms in on the map.) Scene The alley where Ian just was. Paige and Darryl arrive in a swirl of orbs. Darryl: (feeling a bit queasy as he leans agaist the wall.) I’m never getting used to that. Paige: Darryl, look. (Paige points at the dumpster and the unconscious hunter. Paige waves her hand and telekinetically moves the dumpster away. Darryl runs over to make sure the hunter is still breathing.) Paige: I guess Phoebe was right, the hunters are after him. He must have just been here. We need to find him. Darryl: And then what? Paige: What do you mean? Darryl: Paige, he attacked people two times now. Perhaps he is not the innocent you think. Paige: He was defending himself, Darryl. He is probably scared and confused. I can talk to him, explain what is going on. I can help him. (Paige turns away and has a flashback of Dr. Nichols torturing her. She begins to tremble. After a moment, she clenches her fist and blocks it out. She turns to Darryl.) Paige: (determined) We can’t let the hunters get him. (They begin walking down the alley.) Darryl: What happened just now? Paige: Nothing. Darryl: Don’t lie to me, Paige. I saw you go through something. I’ve seen it before with colleagues. They get these flashbacks after a shooting or… Paige: (interrupting) Darryl, I do not have PTSD or anything. Darryl: Alright. Have you talked to your sisters about this? Paige: It’s not a big deal. Just some bad memories. I’m working through it. Saving a witch from going through the same thing will help. Darryl: Okay. Just promise me you’ll talk to your sisters when this is over. Paige: (lying) I will. Scene Derek’s apartment. Phoebe knocks on the door. Derek opens and is surprised to see her. Derek: Phoebe. Phoebe: Hi. Look, I’m not here to talk about us. I need your help with something. Derek: Come in. (Derek hold the door open as Phoebe enters. They are clearly both uncomfortable and unsure what to say.) Derek: So what's this about? Phoebe: We believe a young witch came into his powers and accidentally used magic on others. He is an innocent, just a kid. Derek: I saw the news. You think the hunters will go after him. Phoebe: That's what you do, isn’t it? Derek: What do you expect of me, Phoebe? I’m not exactly popular with other hunters right now, because of us. I can’t charge into the office and demand they stop. Phoebe: You could reason with them. Give us time to fix this. Derek: I’m not sure I should. This time, nobody was hurt, but what about next time? Phoebe: That won’t happen. Paige is looking for him as we speak. Derek: How can you be sure? Phoebe: Because I trust my sister. And I am asking you to trust me. Derek: Well, there is the problem, isn’t it? You said it yourself, we can never fully trust each other. Magic will always stand between us. Phoebe: This isn’t about us. Just give me and my sisters some time. Derek: (after some consideration.) I’ll try. I’ll call Fiona. Phoebe: (relieved) Thank you. (Phoebe begins to leave. Derek takes her hand and pulls her closer. Despite their views, they are still drawn to each other. They kiss for a moment, then Phoebe stops.) Phoebe: (pleading) Don’t make this harder. Derek: This isn’t over, Phoebe. We both know it. Phoebe: It has to be. (Phoebe leaves. Derek grabs his phone and calls someone.) Derek: Fiona. We need to talk. It’s urgent. Scene An empty warehouse. Darryl opens the door and he and Paige walk in. Darryl grabs a flashlight to look around. Paige: Ian? (silence.) Ian, are you here? We’re here to help. Ian’s voice: Leave me alone. Paige: (as she follows the sound of his voice.) Please, I just want to talk. I can help you understand what you’re going through. Ian’s voice: How? Paige: Because I am just like you. A witch. Ian: Why should I believe you? Paige: Let me show you. (Paige stops in front of a scaffold and flings her arm. The scaffold slides aside and reveals Ian hiding behind it.) Ian: (amazed) Wow. Paige: Everyone is worried about you, Ian. Ian: Nobody cares. They think I’m a freak. They’re afraid of me. Paige: What about your parents? Ian: The same. I always knew I was different, even from them. They don't understand me. And since everyone already saw me as a freak, I started to dress the part. Paige: So you changed how you look to keep people at a distance. Because you felt they wouldn’t accept you. Ian: It’s easier if they don’t get close. Paige: (saddened) That sounds lonely. What happened with those bullies? Ian: I never intended to hurt them. I just wanted to scare them away. Paige: And that man in the alley? Ian: I don’t know what happened. He wanted to hurt me, and then everything in the alley started to shake and the dumpster hit him. Did I kill him? Paige: No, don’t worry, he is alive. Ian: I tried a few spells before, but nothing like that ever happened. (He looks at his hands.) I called upon the dark lord to protect me, but it only ended up endangering people. What if I really am evil? Paige: You’re not. Your magic doesn’t come from any dark lord. It comes from within. You’re a witch, and witches can choose to be good or evil. (Unknown to Darryl, Paige and Ian. Two hunters enter the warehouse on the second floor. One aims a sniper rifle at Ian, while the other carries a magic-blocking device.) Hunter: (through an earpiece.) In position. Ian: I don’t want to be evil. I just wanted to be left alone. Paige: I understand. I can help you understand your magic, teach you how to use it without harming others. Ian: Really? You would do that for me? Paige: Of course. You are not alone, Ian. Ian: What about school? I burned those cars. People saw me use magic. Darryl: We will deal with that later, Ian. The most important thing is that nobody got hurt. (Paige goes to Ian and hugs him to comfort him. Cut to the hunters. One has the sniper rifle aimed at Ian.) Hunter: Do I take the shot? Fiona: (through the earpiece.) No, stand down. Hunter: (confused) Ma’am? Fiona: (through the earpiece.) I gave an order. Stand down and retreat. (The hunter obeys the order and lowers the gun. They silently retreat.) Scene Halliwell Manor. Phoebe returns home and finds Piper waiting on the couch. Piper: Are you okay? Phoebe: No, but I think I got through to him. The hunters should stop going after the boy. (She stands there is silence and then breaks down crying.) I don’t know what to do, Piper. Piper: Oh, sweetie. (Piper goes over and hugs Phoebe.) Phoebe: I know we can’t be together, but I can’t stop loving him. What am I supposed to do? Piper: (saddened.) I wish I knew. I really did. (The camera zooms out as Piper continues to comfort Phoebe.) Scene The high school, the following day. Paige and Darryl are standing on the parking lot. Ian exits the school with his parents. When he sees Paige and Darryl, he leaves his parents and comes over. Paige noticed he is no longer wearing eyeliner and his nails are no longer black. Paige: So? Ian: Well, I got off with one month suspension. And my parents want to start family counseling. Paige: They’re trying. Ian: I know. Darryl: And since you’re minor and this is your first offense, you will only get community service and it will not go on your permanent record. Ian: That’s a relief. Paige: So did you talk to your parents about magic? Ian: Yeah, apparently my mom comes from a long line of witches, but they thought the magic had died out with my great-grandmother. Guess it’s back. Paige: Just remember that you can call me any time you need help. Ian: I will, thank you, for everything. Paige: So, new look? Ian: (pointing at his face and nails.) Oh, this? Yeah, I figured I should stop hiding behind all of this. I know who I am now. (Paige noticed that kid Jesse from before standing a few feet away, talking to other students. He keeps looking over.) Paige: I’m not the only one who noticed. Ian: (He looks over at Jesse, who smiles.) Yeah, about that. I know what you’re both thinking, but despite the nail polish and the eyeliner, I still like girls. Paige: (smiling) I think you should break the news gently. Ian: I will, once my suspension is over. I have to go, my parents are waiting. Paige: Take care, Ian. (Paige and Darryl say goodbye to Ian and he leaves. Darryl turns to Paige.) Darryl: Nice work, Paige. I knew I made the right call bringing you in. Paige: I’m glad you did. It felt good to help him. Darryl: I said it before and I’ll say it again, Paige. You have a talent for helping people. Why did you ever quit social work? Paige: I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right anymore. I helped people there, but I spent most of my time stuck behind a desk. Being a witch showed me I can do more. Darryl: (smiling) Maybe you should be a cop. Paige: That’s… (Paige wants to dismiss the idea, but then stops to think.) You think I could be? Darryl: (considering) I was joking, but now that I think about it, you have a strong sense for justice, you want to help people. Maybe this is what you’re meant to do. (Darryl gets in his car, leaving a puzzled Paige wondering about her future as he drives off.) Scene The Mather Cooperation. Fiona is in her office when there is a knock on the door. Derek enters. Fiona: Derek, I wasn’t expecting you. Derek: I wanted to thank you for the favor. Fiona: I don’t need your thanks. I need to know it won’t happen again. I can’t been compromised in front of my subordinates. Derek: There were special circumstances. Fiona: No, there weren’t. That kid used dangerous magic. People could have been killed. Derek: I know. Fiona: Then why? Just because she asked? You need to make a choice, Derek. You can't keep standing in the middle. (Derek walks to the window and looks outside.) Derek: I’ve been telling myself the same thing. I can’t let her go, but I can’t be with her as long as magic stands between us. (Fiona joins him at the window.) Fiona: So what does that mean? Derek: (determined) It means we have to take magic out of the equation. Once magic is gone, the world will be safe and there will be nothing between Phoebe and me. Fiona: She’ll resent you. Derek: That’s a risk I’m willing to take. How far along is the cure? Fiona: We’re in the final testing phase. That’s why I wanted that witch. Derek: (grimly) I’ll get you another. (Derek walks away. When he is gone, Fiona turns to look outside with a victorious smile.) Scene End Episode. Category:Scripts